1 I couldn't hear nobody pray (arr. William Henry Smith)
2 Run to Jesus (Fisk Jubilee Singers collection)
3 Elijah Rock (arr. Moses Hogan)
4 Steal Away (arr. Joseph Jennings)
5 Go Down, Moses (arr. Peter Saltzman)
6 Hush! Somebody's callin' my name (arr. Brazeal Dennard)
7 In dat great gittin' up mornin' (arr. Jester Hairston)
8 Go, preach my Gospel (ed. William Dargan)
9 Hold on (ed. Jackson)
10 Hold on (arr. Jester Hairston)
11 Fix me, Jesus (arr. Hall Johnson)
12 Walk toggeder childron (ed. Nathaniel Dett)
13 Roll, Jordan, Roll (arr. Nashville Bluegrass Band)
14 We shall walk thro the Valley (Fisk Jubilee Singers collection)
15 Oh, Freedom (arr. Hall Johnson)
16 Go Down, Moses (Fisk Jubilee Singers collection)

From Amazon.com

spirituals lite

 Album Rating: (3 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Yes, they can sing. But can they sing spirituals? Yes. But do I want to hear them sing spirituals? NO. White people singing spirituals is boring and tired.

Elijah Rock

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: If you like sacred acapella, you're bound to like "Go Down, Moses," performed by Chicago Acapella. This group does such a fantastic job of achieving a clean, beautiful blended sound. And frankly, I don't care if they are mostly white or if their performance is not "authentic." It sounds heavenly, and that's all that matters as far as I'm concerned.

My favorite track on this CD is "Elijah Rock." Although the composer is listed as "anonymous," the arrangement performed is actually that of the late Moses Hogan. I have yet to come across a recorded performance of Hogan's "Elijah Rock" that does as much justice to the piece as Chicago Acapella's. Their sound, blend, dynamics, pitch, rhythm- everything you need in a choral performance- is spot on here. All of the other recordings of "Elijah Rock" I've listened to do 1 of 2 things (if not both) very quickly- rush the tempo or go flat. Chicago Acapella does neither. In addition, the sound editing and engineering are as good as one could expect. By the way, this is available on iTunes for $9.99, with individual songs for sale. I only bought 2 songs on this CD: "Roll Jordan" and "Elijah Rock." Not that the other songs are bad, they're all well-performed, but these 2, especially "Elijah Rock," are the ones that I can listen to over and over again and never get tired of.

Pretenders

 Album Rating: (3 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: You wont find a picture of the singers for this cd on the cover. I was miffed when I found out they are mostly all white. You couldn't tell from the name of the group, or the politically correct use of the term African American instead of negro. I was just hoping for the kind of nuance you hear in African American church choirs. This choir mimics the Negro spiritual ok, but you can't help but wonder how much better it would be if they used actual African American singers and direction. The real thing is always better than the pretender. Nevertheless the voices are proffessional so I did get something out of it.

It's a wow!

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: We've all heard "Go down Moses"...at least we think we have. This NEW version brings NEW beauty to an ancient favorite. The arrangement is superb. The voices are superb. The effect is superb. An amazing and moving experience.

If you've never heard Chicago a cappella, this would be a wonderful first exposure to a group so musical, so diverse, so entertaining that you'll wish to revisit it often.

Soulful and moving

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: What great ensemble! Whether you love spirituals or not, this recording is sure to impress you with the amazing vocals. Each performer brings out their own personality, but also blends into a unified whole. And the arrangements are a lot of fun!